


A Life in the Spotlight

by gluupor



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Truman Show Fusion, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kevin is the star of the show, M/M, Neil and Andrew are actors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 19:04:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20783597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gluupor/pseuds/gluupor
Summary: Kevin Day thinks he's a famous Exy player who lives in a small town with his two best friends. He doesn't know that even though heisfamous, it's not for the reason he thinks.He has no idea that his entire life is broadcast to the entire world 24/7. He has no idea that he's the star of a reality show that's been on the air for his entire life.He's about to find out.





	A Life in the Spotlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shortbreadd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shortbreadd/gifts).

> This is the second of my 1000 follower giveaway fics! This one is for @alvarez-sara who wanted a truman show au with andrew and neil as actors and kevin the main character.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Neil grew up watching Kevin.

He wasn’t alone. The entire world spent hours of their free time watching him. Watching him go about his normal days, grow up, play a made-up sport. Kevin Day was world famous and he didn’t even know it.

It started as an experiment. Kengo Moriyama made a name for himself in Hollywood as one of the toughest and most successful producers around. His production company was responsible for more Oscar winning films and Emmy winning television shows than any other. It was his younger brother, Tetsuji, who brought him the idea of The Dayly Show. The ultimate in reality TV. Watch a boy as he grows up and lives his life, completely unaware he was under constant surveillance. Surround him with actors who could keep up the charade, add a few twists and turns for extra ratings, and voila. Ratings gold.

A baby was adopted; there were rumours that the Moriyamas had specifically chosen an orphan so there could never be any parental claims. They named him Kevin, hired him a mother (it was decided that a young, single mother would be most relatable), built a tiny island town in a gigantic sound stage, and let the cameras roll.

It was an instant hit; people tuning in at all hours to see how young Kayleigh was faring with her new son. At first the majority of viewers were stay-at-home moms but as Kevin grew, so did his audience. He was already two when Neil was born and Neil couldn’t remember a time he hadn’t known about Kevin. He’d always seemed like a friend who lived in his television.

His obsession with the show was fuelled by the fact that his father worked on it. He’d long been an associate of Kengo’s and had been placed on The Dayly Show’s staff to keep an eye on things for him. Neil was jealous that he got to go spend all day on set; it wasn’t until he was older that he understood that his father didn’t get to relax in the tiny make-believe town of Palmetto unlike the people he saw on television.

When Neil was eight years old he happened to be accompanying his father to work when one of the young actors came down with food poisoning. His role was “Exy Boy”, an extra who was needed to join a team of the sport (invented specifically for the show) that Kevin played daily.

“The boy’s obsessed with Exy,” Neil’s father told Tetsuji, gesturing to where Neil was watching one of the monitors with wide, excited eyes.

“Send him out,” said Tetsuji dismissively.

Neil’s father grabbed him by the shoulder and steered him down to makeup. “Listen up,” he said harshly. “Just go out there and play the stupid sport. Don’t mention the outside. Don’t make yourself the centre of attention. Don’t talk to Kevin if he doesn’t talk to you. If you do something wrong, you’ll pay for it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” replied Neil, keeping his eyes downcast. He knew better than to invoke his father’s temper. Still, he was practically wriggling in excitement. He was going to play Exy! With Kevin!

He did as he was told, taking the court with the other child actors. He recognized most of the players on Kevin’s team from television: Riko and Jean and Andrew. His own team was mostly made up of extras like him.

He played his heart out, thankful that he’d been practicing the sport at recess with his friends. He managed to get the ball away from Kevin once, and although he didn’t score, he got three assists.

After the game was finished, he was looking around for some indication where he should go when Kevin came right up to him.

“You’re pretty good, kid,” he said.

Neil gaped at him. What should he do? Was he allowed to talk to him?

Kevin furrowed his brow. “What’s your name?” he asked when Neil didn’t say anything.

“Nathaniel,” said Neil shyly, using his full name instead of his nickname. It felt more official.

“Well, Nathaniel, you’re little but you’re quick. Keep practicing and maybe you’ll make to the senior team one day.”

Neil nodded furiously.

“I’ll see you around,” said Kevin, loping off.

Once Neil was out of his costume and back with his father, he was taken back to the control booth.

“Not bad,” said Tetsuji, looking at him with interest now. “Bring him around again.”

But it wasn’t to be. Neil’s mother was incensed when she learned he’d been on television. An actress herself, she had decreed when he was born that he was never going to follow in her footsteps. The resulting fight between his parents led to their eventual divorce, and Neil’s mother was awarded sole custody.

Kevin asked after “the kid, Nathaniel” a couple times. He was eventually told that Nathaniel had been kidnapped by his “crazy mother” (Neil suspected his father’s hand in that) and had disappeared completely. The resulting police search, with Kevin and his friends pretending to be detectives, lasted for the entirety of February Sweeps.

* * *

The next time that Neil heard anything about The Dayly Show (other than what he knew from being a viewer) was over a decade later. Despite his mother’s insistence and anger he had decided to follow her footsteps and become an actor. Their relationship had become strained and they barely spoke to each other anymore, but he felt a pull to the profession. Changing his name to Neil Josten so he wouldn’t be treading on the fame of either of his famous parents, he started getting small parts in television shows and movies before his agent brought him an offer from the Moriyamas.

By that time, Neil’s father had left the show to work on other projects so Neil didn’t have to worry about being in his presence. The show was looking for a new striker partner for Kevin after his childhood friend Riko had quit the show, angry about never being the centre of attention.

He wasn’t the first one to storm off the show in a huff; the first big-name departure had been Kayleigh herself, when Kevin was only eight. She’d had a feud with the production team, worn down from constantly lying to the boy who was for all intents and purposes her son. She’d been publicly fired and Kevin was told she was killed in a car crash. Kayleigh spent the next several years making the talk show circuit to advocate for an end to the show for Kevin’s own good while Tetsuji scrambled to find Kevin a proper guardian. He settled on David Wymack, Kevin’s Exy coach who was already his most prominent father figure. “Kayleigh’s will” was discovered and it magically identified his previously-unknown father.

Wymack had stuck around since then, but he was one of the few that was able to stay close to Kevin for any length of time before having to leave the show. Other than him, only Andrew was the other holdout.

Andrew had originally been one of the slew of foster kids that the show hired/cared for to be Kevin’s classmates. Rumours about their poor treatment was widely reported from the kids who were able to leave the show, with talk of rampant abuse by their supposed caretakers. The Moriyamas had cleaned house, claiming that they were unaware of the conditions, although it was more likely that they were keeping their hands clean. Andrew had never come forward with his story since he was the only one still appearing on the show.

When he was young, his role was shared between him and his twin brother so as to not break child labour laws. They ended up being one of Kevin’s preferred friends, sticking with him through thick and thin. When they were thirteen it was decided that Andrew would keep playing the “Andrew” character while his twin brother, Aaron, was introduced as a new separate character that had been separated from Andrew at birth. The entire saga of Andrew meeting his “new brother” drew record ratings as Kevin helped his friend navigate the new relationship. Another new character was introduced, the twins’ cousin Nicky. At first he was played by a similarly blond, white kid, but was quickly recast as Latino following complaints about lack of diversity on the show.

Aaron left the show to attend college (supposedly in another city) although he still came “home” to visit from time to time. Meanwhile, Andrew and Kevin were both starting their careers as “professional Exy players” (Kevin didn’t find it strange that his team was always the home team; he’d been raised to believe that was normal).

Despite his misgivings due to rapid cast turnover and negative reports about the Moriyamas, Neil decided to sign a contract. He’d always enjoyed Exy and he had a soft spot for Kevin. He felt he owed it to him, after watching him for so long. He wanted to help Kevin succeed.

* * *

The most surprising outcome of Neil joining the show was his relationship with Andrew.

He’d been expecting hostility—which he’d encountered—and Andrew trying to drive him away—which he had—and outright hatred. What he _hadn’t_ been expecting was Andrew eventually admitting he was attracted to him once Neil proved he wasn’t going anywhere and that he had Kevin’s best interests at heart.

Andrew had come out in his teens when the show kept writing female actresses into the show as his love interests. Once Kevin started dating, it was thought that double dates would amuse viewers. Andrew had put down his fork one day at lunch, proclaimed, “I’m gay,” and gone back to eating. Tetsuji reframed it as a touching, heartwarming after-school-special moment and begun introducing male love interests. Andrew ignored them. Honestly, Neil was surprised he hadn’t yet been fired for being difficult.

Over time, Neil got to know the real Andrew. He got glimpses of him when he was off camera and away from Kevin. He learned that the only reason Andrew stayed was borne of a deep loyalty and a protective streak. He couldn’t continue to protect Kevin if he got himself fired from the show, so he walked the fine line between cooperation and insubordination. It wasn’t long before Neil found himself being drawn to him, attracted to his strength and personality. They began their relationship quietly, but the producers caught wind of it and wrote it into the show.

Neil approached it like another acting job; whatever was on camera between him and Andrew wasn’t real. Their actual feelings were kept hidden, only for them to experience. Because they weren’t the main characters, they were allowed some measure of privacy and any PDA was discouraged (to appease advertisers who were wary about having a gay couple on the show) which suited them.

It was still incredibly uncomfortable to have the different stages of their relationship be scripted for viewers’ pleasure. The indignity of it incensed Neil and made him experience proper empathy for Kevin.

In his time on the show Kevin—despite his encouraged self-centredness and pompousness—had become Neil’s friend. His obliviousness about his situation hurt because _he deserved to know_. And he never would, being naturally incurious and accepting of his place at the centre of his little world.

Neil knew he had to stick around. He couldn’t get fired because Kevin needed him. He almost screwed up once. Since Kevin had known him as a child, when he was hired it was decided that he would wear brown contacts and dye his hair a different colour to decrease the chances of Kevin realizing that the two different characters of “Neil Josten” and “Exy Boy” were actually the same person. When he was running late one day, Kevin burst in to get Neil for practice before he got his contacts in. Kevin stopped, turned white as a sheet, and whispered, “Nathaniel?”

Neil swore, then came up with a bullshit story on the spot, telling Kevin about his “mobster father” (to get back at his dad for dragging his mom’s name through the mud) who was searching for him. That, he explained, was why his mother had taken him and gone on the run. Kevin had listened, wide-eyed, and then promised never to tell anyone.

Neil supposed it served him right when the producers decided to have him “kidnapped by the mob” for May Sweeps.

* * *

He and Andrew lived in a suburban, cookie-cutter-style house that was next door to Kevin’s nearly identical house. Kevin was currently living there alone, as his longtime girlfriend, Thea, had signed with an Exy team in another city (read: Thea needed time away from the constant pressure from the producers to marry Kevin). They were on-call twenty-four hours a day, which meant that they rarely left the set (they were occasionally granted vacations), more or less living in their set house.

It was completely wired for picture and audio since Kevin was a frequent guest. There were very few places where they could be totally alone.

The washroom was one of them.

Andrew stepped into the shower behind Neil, mumbling incoherently. Neil smiled, turned, and began running his soapy hands down Andrew’s chest. They weren’t going to take it any further this morning—they only had about ten minutes before Kevin let himself in and started yelling about practice—but the casual intimacy thrilled Neil who’d never had a similar relationship before.

“What have you got this afternoon?” he asked between sleepy kisses.

Andrew grimaced. “Kevin and I are slated to go ring shopping.”

“But Thea’s gone,” said Neil in confusion.

Andrew just raised an eyebrow and waited for him to get it.

“Oh—” faltered Neil. “For me? You’re going to—?”

“It’s all set for next week,” said Andrew dryly. He turned away from Neil to rinse himself. “All staged for our adoring audience.” Neil couldn’t decipher his tone.

“You know I’ll say yes.”

“Of course. It’s in your script.”

“You know…” started Neil. “You know I’d say yes if it was real.”

Andrew turned and kissed him again. “As long as we’re here it’s never going to be.”

Neil swallowed. “I know,” he whispered.

They continued showering in silence. A door slammed below them, followed by exasperated-sounding yelling from Kevin.

Neil sighed. “I’ll go. You finish your shower.”

“Neil,” said Andrew, grabbing his arm and squeezing as he turned to leave the shower. His voice suddenly sounded urgent. “When the power goes out, get to the Eden exit.”

“What are you—”

Andrew kissed him to stop his words. It felt desperate. “Trust me.” He pushed Neil out of the shower and turned away.

Neil didn’t let his confusion show as he hurriedly dressed and tripped down the stairs. Kevin was in their kitchen, having taken it over to make breakfast. “What took you so long?” he demanded peevishly. He’d been cranky ever since Thea had left a couple months previously.

“What do you think?” Neil asked, winking suggestively.

“Ew, don’t make me think about that,” whined Kevin. “The two of you are practically my brothers.”

Neil was in a daze for most of the morning, thinking about what Andrew had said. The marriage thing was throwing him off, although he should have been expecting it. Thea’s departure meant that Tetsuji would be looking for another couple to get married in the spring for the ratings—and Dan and Matt had gotten married the year previously, Nicky and Erik the year before that. Andrew and him were the only other long-term couple that made sense, unless the producers somehow managed to talk Aaron into marrying his real-life girlfriend on camera.

The other thing, about the power outage, was also weighing on his mind, although not as heavily. He trusted Andrew completely. He didn’t know what was going on, but he would do as Andrew instructed.

He didn’t have any scenes slated for the afternoon, so he returned to his house to eat and laze around. Usually he invited some of his on-set friends to spend time with him, but they were all curiously absent or busy, which only served to increase his paranoia as to what was going on.

As foretold, the power went off around two. It was unprecedented. The Palmetto sound stage had its own generator and backup generator if the power grid ever went down. There had been fake power outages in Kevin’s youth, mainly for effect (ghost stories at sleepovers were more effective if the power was out), but the lights and cameras were always on. The pitch blackness was more than a little unnerving—even the fake sun had gone out.

Neil dug a flashlight out from under the sink and headed to the specific exit Andrew had directed him to. He was stopped about a block away from his house, his arm grabbed by an unseen assailant. He struggled until he recognized Jean’s voice.

“What’s going on?” he hissed. He’d also played one of Kevin’s childhood friends, but had buckled under the pressure. He had some unknown debt to the Moriyama family and so had been kept on as a behind-the-scenes worker.

“I don’t know,” said Neil.

“They think it’s a plot,” said Jean. “They think someone’s taking Kevin out of here.”

Neil’s breath stuttered. “I don’t know anything about that.”

“Where are you going?” asked Jean suspiciously. “You were heading somewhere with purpose.”

“Let me go,” said Neil harshly.

The two of them stared at each other for a couple beats. “You know they’ll crush everyone involved in this,” said Jean warily.

“I don’t care,” replied Neil. “They’re my family. I go where they go.”

Jean shook his head in disgust. “I won’t tell anyone I saw you,” he said, backing away.

Neil hurried to make up lost time, panting by the time he reached the Eden exit. Past the doors, he could hear low voices.

“Andrew…” said someone tentatively. Neil thought it sounded like Wymack.

“Give him five more minutes,” replied Andrew sharply. “He’ll be here,” he added, sounding less certain.

Neil pushed through the doors, finding Andrew, Wymack, and Kevin in the long corridor that led to an emergency exit. Kevin was propped up against the wall, supported by Wymack and breathing into a bag.

“Just past this door is the entire world,” Wymack was muttering to him. “I have so much to show you. I’ll be alright, I promise.”

Andrew, was waiting in trepidation. As soon as he saw Neil, his shoulders relaxed. He grabbed him and reeled him in, pressing their foreheads together.

“I thought you might not come,” he said quietly.

“Of course I did,” replied Neil. “You’re here. Why didn’t you tell me sooner about the plan?”

“The more people know a secret, the more chance of it getting out.”

“You didn’t trust me?” asked Neil, feeling wounded.

“Of course I trust you,” said Andrew instantly. “I wanted to protect you. They’re going to come after us for this; I wanted you to stay safe. But… I couldn’t leave you behind.”

Neil kissed him and Wymack cleared his throat.

“We have to get going or this will be the shortest jailbreak of all time.”

“You already told him, didn’t you?” asked Neil, glancing at Kevin who was still on the verge of a meltdown. “You can’t put that cat back in the bag.”

“Still,” said Wymack, gesturing to the exit. “Let’s get out of here.”

Andrew went first, holding on to Neil’s hand. He opened the door to the parking lot and they blinked against the brightness of the sun.

The sight outside the door took Neil’s breath away and told him this escape was obviously planned and supported by people on the outside. There was a massive crush of people, carrying signs that said things like “FREE KEVIN”. He could see Kayleigh and Thea waiting near the front of the crowd, watching the door with shining eyes.

“Come on, Kevin,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “They’re waiting for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I can be found on tumblr [@gluupor](http://gluupor.tumblr.com).


End file.
